The Sweet Clover is a legume that is exceptional for not only attracting honey bees to the garden, but also creating green manure! This clover can grow nearly anywhere under most conditions. The Sweet Clover is our favorite clover because it is more versatile than other clovers at nitrogen fixating, erosion control and attracting beneficial insects. This variety is slow to establish the first year but comes on fast the following year and can produce up to 170 lb. of nitrogen per acre. The Sweet Clover comes OMRI Pre-inoculated. Uses: Bees & Beneficial Insects, Chicken Forage, Compaction Control, Deer Attractant, Erosion Control, Forage, Green Manure, Nitrogen Fixation, No Till, Weed Suppression
When sown late summer, the Hairy Vetch spring regrowth is vigorous and nitrogen-producing, for tilling in before planting spring garden crops. You can sow with or without grain, grass or field peas! The typical nitrogen produced of this legume is 100 lbs. per acre. The Hairy Vetch has rapid growth that makes it a good weed suppressant. Uses: Bees & Beneficial Insects, Chicken Forage, Deer Attractant, Erosion Control, Forage, Green Manure, Nitrogen Fixation, No Till, Weed Suppression
The Austrian Winter Pea, sometimes called black pea or field pea, is a great cool season legume for cover crops, wildlife and winter grazing! This cool-season, annual legume has good, nitrogen-fixing capabilities. The Austrian Winter Pea is a low-growing, viny legume which has been shown to fix over 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre per year. It has hollow, slender and succulent stems, 2 to 4 feet long. The foliage is pale green, and the flowers are colored, usually purple, pink or reddish. Uses: Chicken forage, deer attractant, forage, green manure, nitrogen fixation, no till, organic matter (biomass), weed suppression
The Ladino Clover is the most popular white clover in the USA as it is two to four times as large as the common white clover! This clover has a high nutritive value and is palatability, making it a popular choice in pasture mixtures. It is not deep rooted, and will not tolerate much drought. Ryegrass and orchardgrass work well with ladino clover in mixtures. Broadcast at 25 lbs. per acre. Seed comes inoculated. Uses: Bees & Beneficial Insects, Chicken Forage, Compaction Control, Deer Attractant, Erosion Control, Forage, Green Manure, Nitrogen Fixation, No Till, Weed Suppression
Iron and Clay cowpeas makes a great cover crop for smothering weeds and adding Nitrogen to soil. This variety of cowpeas are grown just like soybeans. Iron and Clay is a fast growing plant that can reach 3'. The best time to plant is during spring for best results as the frost will kill the cowpeas. Iron and Clay has long taproots that help withstand drought conditions and can produce as much as 300 lb./acre nitrogen. This variety has a high organic matter production. Broadcast up to 120 lb./acre, 1/2 to 1" deep. Try with cowpea inoculant for maximum Nitrogen fixation.
The Mammoth Red Clover is a large, fast growing clover that is an ideal grazing crop and can be sowed in spring, summer or fall! Mammoth Red is a popular biennial clover used for Nitrogen addition and hay crops. This red clover may be the best choice for frost seeding; it is extremely cold hardy and does well in most soils and growing conditions. The Mammoth Red Clover will fix up to 70-110 lbs. nitrogen per acre. This variety's long tap roots loosen soils and mine phosphorus and other nutrients from deep in the soil. Uses: Bees & Beneficial Insects, Chicken Forage, Compaction Control, Deer Attractant, Erosion Control, Forage, Green Manure, Nitrogen Fixation, No Till, Weed Suppression
Using the Field Peas and Oats Blend throughout your garden is a great way to fix nitrogen and add organic matter to the soil! This blend contains a great ratio of grass and legume cover crop for fixing nitrogen, winter cover, weed suppression and more. The Field Peas and Oats Blend should be sown from early spring to late summer. Sow no later than 6 weeks before first fall frost in your area. This variety is gold hardy enough to grow long into the fall leaving behind a great mulch for soil protection. (75% peas / 25% oats by weight) Seed Coverage: - 5 lbs covers 2,000-4,000 sqaure feet - 100 lbs covers 1-2 acres Uses: Deer Attractant, Green Manure, Nitrogen Fixation, No Till, Organic Matter (Biomass), Weed Suppression
The Knuckle Purple Hull is a bush type cowpea producing heavy yields of purple pods. Cowpeas in general are great for drying and canning. This variety tends to stay off the ground and cluster making for easy picking. This cowpea is referred to as a "Knuckle Hull" because of the big, plump cowpeas. Try with cowpea inoculant for maximum Nitrogen fixation.
Chicory has a long taproot that penetrates subsoils which makes it drought tolerant and allows it to make minerals more available to livestock. Rich in potassium, sulfur, calcium, zinc, sodium, manganese and iron. When managed properly, Chicory produces leafy growth which is higher in nutritive and mineral content than alfalfa and other cool season grasses. Used mainly in mixes with other pasture or cover crop seeds. Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) - Warm season, broadleaf - Perennial - Upright and spreading growth habit - Protein levels: 10-32% - Forms arbuscular mycorrhizal associations Uses: - Bees & Beneficial Insects - Chicken Forage - Deer Attractant - Forage
Pinkeye Purple Hull cowpea is one of the most popular varieties preferred by Southerners. Cowpeas in general are great for drying and canning. This variety's hulls are purple and its cowpeas are green with pinkeyes when freshly picked turning cream with dark maroon when dried. The Pinkeye Purple Hull produces pods that are six to seven inches long and purple. If you are using for Nitrogen fixation we highly recommend using a cowpea inoculant.
All of the seeds below are very good at attracting deer to your property! Buckwheat - Improves top soil and an effective choke weed! Plant late spring to early summer. Establishes quickly. Matures in 60 days. Accumulates phosphorus and and potassium for following crops. Frost sensitive. All below packages come in 1lb. bags. Crimson Clover - Winter annual protects and improves soil! Plant fall or early spring. A good nitrogen fixer (70-150 lbs per acre per year). Showy crimson blooms in late spring are an excellent source of nectar for bees. Inter-seeds well with grass. Austrian Winter Pea - A great cool season legume for cover crops, wildlife and winter grazing! Austrian winter pea, sometimes called "black pea" and "field pea" is a cool-season, annual legume with good, nitrogen-fixing capabilities. Austrian winter pea is a low-growing, viny legume which has been shown to fix over 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre per year. Peas - Grow regular old peas in your deer food plot. One of the most preferred vegetables for deer. Oats - Oats will kill off winter weeds and hold soil with a mat of vegetation! A high yielding oat that can produce over 100 bushels per acre. Plant anytime of the year. Deer will graze oats all year round. Barkant Forage Turnip - Great forage crop that provides high energy feed! Barkant turnips are an improved, early maturing, diploid turnip wtih a large purple tankard shaped bulb. Barkant turnips have a high leaf to stem ratio and and provide very high contentrations of protein, sugar content and leaf yields. Barkant Turnips are ideally suited for wildlife. Dwarf Essex Rape - A cabbage related plant that is a perfect grazer! Dwarf Essex Rape is a perfect grazer plant that will persist well after the first frost. Ready to pasture 6-8 weeks after sowing. Hairy Vetch - Sow with or without grain, grass or field peas! When sown late summer, grows fast and will attract wildlife. Hairy Vetch has rapid growth that makes it a good weed suppressant.
The Common Alfalfa is a somewhat winter hardy perennial legume, but it grows more quickly than other regular alfalfa varieties. As an annual green manure, this cool-season "Summer" alfalfa can produce up to 10 tons of organic matter per acre. Its long taproots break up compacted soil and bring up subsurface minerals. High nitrogen fixation and great bee forage. Alfalfa is basically good at everything, as it great for nitrogen fixation and bee forage! Just look at all it's uses below! Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.): Cool season, broadleaf, Perennial, Legume (N-fixation), Upright plant growth, Crude protein: hay or silage 14-22% Uses: Bees & Beneficial Insects, Chicken Forage, Compaction Control, Deer Attractant, Erosion Control, Forage, Green Manure, Nitrogen Fixation, Nitrogen Scavenger, No Till, Organic Matter (Biomass), Weed Suppression
